


One Short Night

by bluemandycat



Category: Metegol (2013)
Genre: Kissing, M/M, Rivalry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-09-11 09:10:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8973610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluemandycat/pseuds/bluemandycat
Summary: Skip and Rip walk together at the carnival.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I have sunk to a very deep low by writing this. Enjoy!

            “Listen, I’m just saying that in order to have a good team, you need to have some degree of loyalty from your teammates,” explained Skip tiredly, for what felt like the millionth time.

 

            “My mates are loyal,” said Rip, again. “It’s just that we’re the anti-heroes, according to Jake. It’s not our fault if we’re portrayed as evil.”

 

            They had gotten separated from the others somewhere in the middle of the fair. Rico had run off crying about his hair, and Ziggy had spotted one of those fortune-telling booths and immediately became engrossed in chatting with it. Jake, despite his huge size, was caught up in emotional problems again, and had slipped away. So it was just Skip, and his archrival, Rip, trying to find their teammates at the busy fair. Skip didn’t understand why the universe did these things to him sometimes.

 

            “You’re not the ‘anti-heroes,’ you’re just evil. There’s a difference,” said Skip.

 

            “Oh yeah?” fired back Rip. “If your team is so loyal, then where are they now?”

 

            Skip faltered, but quickly recovered himself. He couldn’t let Rip get the better of him. “Jake’s getting them. Where are yours, hmm?”

 

            “Like you said, Jake’s getting them,” said Rip. “We’re kind of in the same boat here.”

 

            Skip found he had no comeback. He breathed a sigh. “Stalemate, Rip.”

 

            Rip exhaled. “We’re captains without teams. What are we even doing?”

 

            Skip had to laugh. “And stuck in the middle of a fun fair, too. If our teams could see us now. Getting along and everything.” After a pause, Skip added. “You know. Technically. Cause we have to.”  


            Rip shot a small smile at him. Skip didn’t even know that Rip _could_ smile. “I like it,” he said, almost shyly. “It’s nice to not fight.”

 

            Skip’s face burned. “You realize that this is only temporary, right?” he said, looking away. “We’re always going to be enemies on the field.”

 

            “I _know,_ Skip. Keep hammering it in, why don’t you? I just meant that it’s a whole world out here. It’s nice to be out of the pool table for once,” said Rip.

 

            Skip had to admit that Rip was right. It definitely was temporary, but…they were free from the pool table, at least for the night. “Figures that the one free night we get is spent at a carnival,” griped Skip.

 

            Rip shrugged. “I like it. It’s different than the table, at least.”

 

            “It smells like popcorn. But like, not the good kind of popcorn,” said Skip. He wrinkled his nose. “Oh well. At least it smells better than the bar.”

 

            “More people than the bar, too,” commented Rip. “Easier for us to blend in.”

 

            “Yeah…” Skip trailed off, unsure of what to say. What _does_ one say to a person who should be your natural enemy, but is being weirdly nice to you?

 

            “You know what’s nice about being out of the table?” said Rip.

 

            “What?” asked Skip suspiciously.

 

            Rip reached over and took Skip’s hand. “I get to touch you.”

 

            Skip looked down at their linked hands. “You’re holding my hand,” he said dumbly.

 

            “You got a problem with that, captain?” Rip asked.

 

            Skip smiled, and tightened their grip. “Not at all, _captain_.” He pulled Rip around the corner of a booth. “Someone must be around here somewhere,” he mused.

 

            “We don’t have to be looking for them in such a hurry. There’s no rush,” said Rip.

 

            “What do you mean, there’s no rush? Our teams are in danger!” exclaimed Skip.

 

            “Ziggy, Rico, and Jake are on the case. We can take a little time to hang out,” said Rip.

 

            Skip rolled his eyes. “Okay, but Ziggy isn’t going to get much done on his own, Rico’s obsessing over his looks, and Jake is great, but he’s big and full of emotional problems. That leaves us.”

 

            “Oh, come on, Skip! One night and all you want to do is run around looking for your mates?” exclaimed Rip.

 

            Skip shrugged. “You got anything better to do? We’re basically only alive to help Jake get the team back together.” After a pause, he said, “I’m not hearing any better ideas,” and dragged Rip behind the safety of a striped tent.

 

            Rip looked at the ground. “You want a better idea, Skip?” He let go of Skip’s hand and turned to face him head-on.

 

            “Your ‘better idea’ is not holding my hand anymore? Um, pass,” said Skip.

 

            “I can almost see why Jake wants us as enemies,” said Rip. He smiled. “Not quite, though.” He placed his hands on Skip’s face, and drew him in for a kiss.

 

            When they broke apart, Skip stared at him with wide eyes. “How long have you been waiting to do that?”

 

            “Far too long. Seven years of staring at a guy will do that to you,” said Rip. He fiddled with his fingers. “Was it…okay?”

 

            Skip snorted. “You should have done that sooner, idiot. Maybe then we could have skipped the rivalry stuff.”

 

            “Well, it was only recently that I’ve been able to reach you. Those two inches kept us apart for seven years, Skip.” Rip put his hands on Skip’s shoulders.

 

            “Well, then,” said Skip. “I guess we’ll just have to make up for lost time, then.” He put his hands around Rip’s waist. They stood like that, for a moment, before a thought occurred. “I guess I was wrong.”

 

            “In what way?” asked Rip.

 

            “I guess that we don’t have to be in such a rush. Like you said, Ziggy, Rico, and Jake are on the case,” said Skip. “We can enjoy ourselves a little bit. For the night.”

 

            “ _Finally,_ ” breathed Rip, and they kissed again in the warm popcorn-smelling air.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos/Comments/Messages to bluemandycat on Tumblr very much enjoyed!


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